A.S. - carving does go quick on this stuff! Thanks for the ID on it! I do like it a bunch, and would love more sometime. Thinking about doing Hukilau in 2011, so that would be a good opportunity to pick some more up! Not too bad on the splinters right now... the chips remind me of Graham Crackers. It is strange though, I have noticed some checking though... thought the log was pretty dry. I guess anything that you take the bark off of is going to dry out quick.

I'll be keeping the chisels sharp, thanks for the tip!

I did whack it pretty hard the first few times... the strikes go pretty deep. Got a good feel for it now, and I can compare it to carving very fresh Yellow Pine.
I love how crisp you can get an edge.

Enjoy your waves!

tikigodz and drasticwagon, thanks guys!

Al, I can see how that goes... luckily this is a good piece, but some very small areas get a bit funky. Would hate to have a whole log like that.
You do some amazing things with palm... working with it has given me a little insight into your world.

On 2010-09-01 12:54, Lake Surfer wrote:Well, that settles it. I think we will move to Florida so I can get more of this palm log stuff to carve.
What a treat!
I couldn't wait until the weekend, so I took some chops on this guy, then took some more chops,
and then realized that if I kept it up I wouldn't have anything to carve this weekend.

So here's some of the 5 foot palm tiki I'm working on...

I'm really digging this palm. Benz, if you are reading this, do you remember what kind of palm this is?
For me, its as much effort as carving Yellow Pine, but I'm loving the crisp, clean cuts I can get with just a little effort.

And unlike Pine and Ash, this is got a great tropical vibe going on for me!

Hey Lake, Glad you like this palm, it IS Cabbage palm and there is enough here for you to carve for the rest of yer life so C'mon Down and git it...
(I hear Tiki Hana is looking for a room mate)
Good looking carve to!

Lookin' great Dave! I'm glad you could use the wood. How did the wood hold up as you got deeper into the log, like in the mouth? I find that the middle of the palms logs are tough to use.
_________________Please visit my new website, Leeward Lounge Ukuleles

Well, back from a long holiday weekend, and the Dairyland Surf Classic. Drying the wetsuit today since we did indeed get waist to chest high waves yesterday. I am paying for the 6 hour session today in the back and arms, but it is all good.

Time to get to some responses!

Seeks, thanks much! Holding up well for sure, but some slight checking the last few days.

Bill, thanks for the compliments! I do see that I've settled into a distinctive style lately... for sure inspired by some other artists.
I like the tool mark look, and it really shows the work and the strokes that go into a piece like this. Pretty mind boggling when you think of the hundreds of blows that carve out the form.

McTiki... No worries my friend, I'm for sure a newb when it comes to this material. Loving it though, and I think I'm getting it down!

Thanks surfin Dave! Would really love a haul of this, but I'll get the most outta this guy until I can get more.

Benz, Cabbage Palm! Thanks for the correct type! Now I know what to look for! And thanks for passing this guy on up this way!
Would love to move on down to Florida in a second, but I'd have to work on a plan with the wife! Maybe one of these days...

Fred, thanks for stopping by and thanks for your compliment! No worries on this guy right through the middle. I was a little worried, but I pretty much carved right through the core and it held up very solid. Slight checking now as it still continues to lost some moisture, but no too bad.

Mahalo tikigodz! More pictures coming right up!

This past Saturday was the Dairyland Surf Classic. No surf on Saturday allowed me to do a bunch of carving on this guy, and I'm now down to the lower body and legs.
I have to do some more sketching as I work on the arms and legs. I'll continue on with this as time allows, but I have to get a few more pieces done for the Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale in a few weeks!